How the travel chaos is wreaking havoc on the NCAA March Madness tournament

The partial U.S. government shutdown has made air travel incredibly difficult over the past few weeks as many airports are facing major staffing shortages. The timing centers around spring break, when many go on trips—and also when the NCAA basketball championship tournaments take place.

It takes a massive effort to coordinate travel plans for 68 men’s and women’s teams over the course of just a few days, in between the Selection Show on Sunday night and the first games, whether they are on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

Add on the compounding travel issues of staff shortages, charter plane shortages, and now the price of jet fuel rising significantly in the wake of the military operations in Iran, and the task becomes even harder.

On February 24, the NCAA sent a memo to its institutions that outlined its changing travel guidelines due to these problems.

“Extreme flexibility will be required this championship season,” the message said. “Participating schools should expect 100% screening, catering for flights over three hours, and assigned departure dates and times based on game date and aircraft efficiency, for the first week of the tournament.”

It went on to say that unlike in previous years, schools would not be able to submit date or time preferences for flights to First Four and First and Second Round sites.

“New this year, departure date and time will be determined by carrier availability,” the memo said. “Teams eligible to fly will be scheduled to travel two days before the competition.”

Hoping for a smooth flight

Throughout the season, teams book travel on their own, and many mid-major programs even take commercial flights. But for the NCAA Tournament, teams book travel through the NCAA’s travel service. For teams located more than 400 miles from their first weekend site, the NCAA covers the cost of a charter flight. For others, the NCAA offers a ground transportation reimbursement, or the team can book and pay for its own flight.

“The NCAA partners with large and small charter aircraft providers to create a dedicated fleet that meets the NCAA requirements for safety and operations,” the NCAA’s memo said. “Charter availability may be limited due to Federal Aviation Administration, crew regulations, current staffing constraints (pilots, crew, ground handlers and screeners), weather, supply and demand. These challenges likely will impact team flight preferences, requiring teams to depart earlier or later than preferred.”

The NCAA Selection Committee didn’t change its selection process and bracketing principles to cater to the travel chaos, according to committee chair Keith Gill last week.

The only reported travel issue thus far was a weather-related delay for the No. 16 seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) men’s team, knocking its charter flight from Baltimore to Dayton, Ohio, on Monday back by four hours. The UMBC Retrievers played in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four on Tuesday against Howard University, and lost 86-83. UMBC didn’t land in Dayton until just about 24 hours before tip-off.

The men’s tournament opened with First Four games in Dayton on Tuesday, and the First and Second Rounds will start on Thursday and Friday in Tampa, Florida; Greenville, South Carolina; Buffalo, New York; Philadelphia; San Diego; Portland, Oregon; Oklahoma City; and St. Louis.

In the women’s tournament, no travel issues have arisen yet. All First and Second Round games, including the First Four games, are played on the campus of one of the top 16 seeds chosen to host.

It’s unclear how the travel chaos will impact fans wanting to travel to see their teams play in different cities—but they will be paying a premium to do it, as airfares are up nationwide.